SBIR Phase I: Scanning Magnetic Microscope Using a Tapered Magnetoresistive Probe for Nanoscale Current Imaging of Integrated Circuits

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段的研究项目旨在将磁阻传感器重铸成高纵横比的探头几何形状，以实现对大范围封装微电子设备中微弱埋置电流的纳米级成像。集成电路的制造已经成为一项日益复杂的纳米级技术。有了这些尺寸，在金属层上形成短路或高阻缺陷(阻性开口)的倾向正在增加，其中“杀手缺陷”可能是不可见的，并且只有几十纳米大小。目标是在球磨腔中获得灵敏度~50nA、分辨率~100 nm的电流图像。这将通过开发一种具有50微米尖端的创新探头设计来实现，该探头可以在非接触模式下快速扫描。该计划中提出的技术开发对主要半导体制造商以及所有其他从事先进集成电路工作的半导体制造商至关重要。由于复杂的封装方案，所需的工具必须具有纳米级的分辨率和能够在研磨腔中工作的探头几何形状。对美国来说，这意味着更快地引进先进的电子产品，这将对所有行业产生广泛影响，并最终提高生活质量和劳动生产率。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project is aimed at recasting magneto-resistive sensors in a high aspect ratio probe geometry to achieve nanoscale imaging of weak buried currents in a large range of packaged microelectronic devices. The manufacture of integrated circuits has become an increasingly complex nanoscale technology. With these dimensions, the propensity for the formation of shorts or high resistance defects (resistive opens) at the metal layers is increasing where "killer defects" may be non-visual and only be a few tens of nanometers in size. The goals are to achieve current images with a sensitivity of ~50 nA and a resolution ~100 nm in milled cavities. This will be achieved through developing an innovative probe design with a 50 micron tip that can be rapidly scanned in non-contact mode.The technology development that is proposed in this program is of critical interest to major semiconductor manufacturers, as well as all other semiconductor manufacturers working on advanced integrated circuits. The needed tools must have nanoscale resolution and a probe geometry capable of working in milled cavities due to the complex packaging schemes. For the nation, it means faster introduction of advanced electronics that will have a broad impact across all industries and ultimately improve quality of life and labor productivity.